(BBC)- The Iraqi military says it has launched a new offensive aimed at re-capturing western towns near the Syrian border from the jihadist group Islamic State. The operation will involve army and federal police units, along with tribal fighters. Their main targets are the towns of...

At least nine people were killed in a car blast Thursday in the center of the Syrian town of Jableh in the coastal Mediterranean province of Latakia where two Russian bases are located, state television said. State media said scores of cars were on fire and shops were also damaged by...

Apple has removed the New York Times from its China app store, the tech giant said, after authorities told the company the app breached regulations. The US newspaper said both its English- and Chinese-language apps were pulled late last month, blocking one of the few remaining channels for...

Six Iraqi civilians were killed and another 17 injured on Thursday when a car bomb shook capital Baghdad, according to a local security source. "The explosive-laden vehicle blew up in the city’s eastern [predominantly Shia] Al-Obeidi area," Ahmed Khalaf, a Baghdad police officer, told...